Page 4 of Hollywood Games
He kissed her. ‘I’ve been pining for you.’
‘I can’t believe how much you’ve done. You must have worked all the time. Did you have any time off for Christmas?’
He continued to kiss her freckles. ‘Not really. It was important to me to finish this for you. And Christmas with my mum was never going to be great.’
Zoe’s stomach twisted. Rory’s mother, Barbara, thought Zoe wasn’t good enough for her son, and had done her best to hound her out of Kinloch. Zoe knew any life with Rory would have to involve his mum in some way, but right now she never wanted to see her again.
‘Thank you for the toilet and the septic tank. Best presents ever,’ she said, changing the subject.
Rory’s smile shone like the summer sun. He moved over her, bracketing her head with his forearms. ‘Everything I am, and everything I have is yours.’ She melted into his touch, the soft fullness of his lips and the hot caress of his tongue. He stroked the inside of her mouth, sending prickles fizzing across her skin and lighting fires throughout her body. She could feel the hard ridge of his cock across her belly and shifted to the side, laying it in the crease of her hip, moving in slow circles against it. He brought one hand down her side and pushed it under her bottom, holding her to him, ravaging her with kisses until she pulled away to catch her breath.
‘I’m so glad you’re back,’ he whispered.
Zoe brought her cheek to his, feeling the soft bristle of his stubble on her skin. ‘Just think. A few weeks ago, you were so desperate to get rid of me you herded cattle into my garden and set a rat loose in my home. Now you’ll never get rid of me.’
She felt him smile.
‘You’ve ruined my life.’
She brought her hand to his cock, and stroked up and down the hot length. ‘Would you like me to ruin it a little more?’
Rory closed his eyes and groaned. ‘Yes please.’
Half an hour later,Rory finished deep inside her with a cry, his arms holding her tightly as she straddled him on the edge of the bed. They sat intertwined for minutes, his energy apparently sapped.
‘Are you ruined yet?’ she asked.
He nodded, his forehead resting on her shoulder. ‘For life.’
‘Well, at least we’ve finally found your limits.’
He looked up. ‘This is merely a tactical retreat. Give me five minutes and I will regroup and return with a vengeance.’
His head flopped back to her shoulder. ‘Once a soldier, always a soldier,’ she replied softly. She continued to kiss and nuzzle him, stroking lightly down his back as he rested. When his muscles softened towards sleep, she lifted herself off, rolled him onto his side in the bed and covered him with the duvet.
‘Five minutes, and I’ll be ready for action,’ he mumbled.
She banked the Rayburn for the night, washed the dishes, then padded to the bathroom. By the time she got out, he was fast asleep. She got into bed beside him.
‘Happy almost New Year,’ she whispered.
She turned the light off and curled up next to him. As soon as it was safe to get out, she’d hike up the hill and call her parents and Morag to let them know she was okay.
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3
Sounds, smells and textures of reality drifted towards Rory, like land welcoming a sailor after months at sea. Where was he? Overnight, one year had passed on and another stepped in to take its place. He kept his eyes shut. His sleep had been as deep as death, a blissful void of restoration where he could heal his body and his mind could finally rest.
It was the first time since Zoe had crash landed into Scotland and his life, his sleep hadn’t been unsettled or frustrating. In his dreams she was usually out of reach; as insubstantial as smoke when he tried to touch her, but very real when wrapped around other men. He’d wake every morning exhausted, and no matter how much he punished his body during the day, there was no rest in sleep.
Over Christmas the dreams had changed. He could now touch her, hold her, make love to her, in an endless loop of sexual fantasy. But it was overlaid with a gnawing anxiety she wouldn’t come back, that the Highlands and him were never going to be enough for a city girl, and each morning he woke in the same physical state as before.
Consciousness coalesced inside him, and he became aware of the tapping of fingers on a laptop, felt the warmth of the duvet, and smelled woodsmoke and tea.What time is it? How long have I slept? Did I snore?
When Zoe was in London with her parents, he’d worked all hours at the cabin, his mind focused on completing as much work as he could before her return. He knew he’d lost weight. Even eating seemed a waste of time. His labour was penance for the wrongs he and his mother had done to her, but also a hope that the more comfortable the cabin was, the more likely she was to stay. His mum was worried about him but kept quiet. They were still barely speaking after everything that had happened last year.
The tapping stopped and Rory opened his eyes. Zoe was looking at him from the table, already dressed and smiling.
